It's
obvious—whether ABC likes it or not—that
little Justin is gay.
In the recent
Advocate article “Betty’s Family
Secret" by Gretchen Dukowitz, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation’s entertainment media
director, Damon Romine, says of Betty’s nephew
Justin (Mark Indelicato), “He’s a character
with a flair for the dramatic and someone who has a
sense of style. To say he’s gay based on that
means viewers are letting stereotypes decide for them the
definition of gender and sexuality.” While ABC
has not officially labeled Justin gay, I find
Romine’s archaic reasoning completely irresponsible
and offensive. Plenty of gay men of every age are just
like Justin. It’s not just a stereotype;
it's reality, and it’s OK. I’ve lived
enough years and developed enough gaydar that I can
watch even a preteen TV character and figure out
he’s written to be gay, even if he’s
never said, “I’m gay,” even
if ABC hasn't issued a press release confirming
it. From the first episode I was able to ascertain that
Justin was gay from his swishy personality, his
feminine vocal patterns, and his obsessive interest in
fashion. There’s no need for “a special
episode” to spell it out. The boy is
gay-gay-gay. Incidentally, the show’s confirmed
gay character, Marc (Michael Urie), has all the
“stereotypical” gay features Romine
mentions. “Flair for the dramatic.” Check.
“Sense of style.” Check. And on the
recent Thanksgiving-themed episode, Marc even camped
it up in drag by prancing around Mode
magazine’s fashion offices dressed in an
evening gown, long gloves, and a feather boa while singing
the theme song to Dreamgirls. Since Marc was
officially labeled “gay” by ABC,
it’s OK to be “stereotypical.” Huh?
Marc didn't say he was gay for a few episodes, but
gee, somehow I figured out that he was gay—the
same way I instantly recognized Justin as gay.
And I have news
for GLAAD’s Romine: In today’s world and even
in the past, not every gay person who comes out
proclaims it by saying, “I’m
gay.” Often they do it just through their actions and
general demeanor. Back in the summer of 1983, when I
was 13 and my best friend Robert was 14, I realized he
was gay after he showed up on my doorstep wearing his
mother’s pedal-pusher pants and her big white floppy
picture hat. My parents figured it out too. It was
Robert’s way of coming out with a bang, and he
never had to say he was gay that day for us to figure it
out. A few months later, in ninth grade, Robert communicated
his gayness to the entire student body by showing up
at our junior high school wearing a white sweatshirt
fashioned Flashdance-style. Wearing the low-cut scoop
neckline suggestively off his naked shoulder, he nearly
created a lunchtime riot when the senior student body
convened around us, rubbernecking to get an eyeful of
this obviously gay boy—a species previously not
seen in this hetero land adorned with preppy polo shirts,
classic Levi's 501s, and rock-concert jerseys. Robert
embraced and proudly communicated his gayness in that
Flashdance fashion proclamation just like Justin
shows his true gay self in every episode of Ugly
Betty, when he gets excited talking about Martha
Stewart, dresses up like Gene Kelly in a sailor
uniform and tap dances his way through the
neighborhood for Halloween, or explains how he stood out in
the Thanksgiving play because he was the only one
doing jazz hands. On the one episode where Justin and
Marc actually meet and interact, Marc tells Justin
that he reminds him a lot of his younger self and dishes out
wisdom for Justin to follow Marc’s youthful example.
He essentially tells Justin to continue to be
fabulous, be himself, keep his individual style, and
most importantly, learn to run fast. Even if ABC isn't
sending out any official gay proclamations about
Justin, this exchange between him and Marc was an
acknowledgment that these two guys have something in
common besides an excessive interest in high fashion. And
Marc’s story could have easily been my best
friend Robert’s. The only difference was that
Robert never had to run; he knew how to fight and didn't
stand for any guff about his sexuality.
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Lydia Marcus is a film critic and entertainment
journalist whose features and photographs have appeared
in the Los Angeles Times, AOL, The
Advocate, indieWIRE.com,Gay.com,logoonline.com, and
AfterEllen/ AfterElton.com. For
more info log onto www.lydiamarcus.com.
Photo courtesy American Broadcasting Companies Inc.